


Still Standing

by junetyp



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Yakuza, Angst, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Twitter Fic, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 22:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16543577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junetyp/pseuds/junetyp
Summary: Minghao's backstory before joining the Diamond Group. A short spin-off from my Jeongcheol Yakuza AU on Twitter.





	Still Standing

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is a short spin-off from my Jeongcheol Yakuza AU on Twitter about Minghao's backstory since it's Minghao's birthday today! You can read it on its own or you can check out my AU here : https://twitter.com/svtnogomi/status/1043594895351537664
> 
> There's only minor Junhao at the end so if you're looking for a pure Junhao fic, welp, sorry!
> 
> Warning: This is not Beta-ed! I was in a rush for his birthday lol.

**PROFILE SIX: XU MINGHAO**

**Role:Executive 幹部**

**Clan:Diamond Group ダイヤモンド組**

**Age: 30**

 

**Recruited by the Gumicho when he just escaped to Japan running away from abusive parents. Trained together with Seungcheol and Jihoon. Is fiercely loyal and protective. Is their secret weapon.**

 

* * *

 

His life wasn’t always that bad. His parents weren’t always that abusive, or hated him or whatever. Xu Minghao was born into a considerably well-off family, his father the owner of several chain restaurants. He remembers playing by the river with his parents and his nanny, the cold feel of the river water a stark contrast against the burning sun.

 

Everything came crashing down when his father’s restaurants were forced to shut down. His father’s business partner swindled away thousands and millions from the company funds and left them with a mountain of debt. Devastated, his parents filed for abrupt bankruptcy and then came the devils.

 

His parents succumbed to the evil of the loan sharks, borrowing a huge amount of money to pay off the debt, subsequently getting themselves deeper into trouble, where their debt not only doubled, but tripled. Every day he would get cursed or sometimes beaten by his father, who was too much in a drunk stupor to think clearly, although Minghao doubted that that would have made any difference.

 

“You useless son of a bitch. You’re just another burden, another responsibility to this huge mess. If it weren’t for the law, I would have killed you off already!”

 

Minghao shivered under his father’s angry gaze, nauseated by the rotting beer breath. His mother would hide him behind her at first, shouting back at his father that he wasn’t to be blamed and taking blows for him. However, it wasn’t long after Minghao’s mother would hit him too, blaming him for her misfortunes.

 

“I should have left you with your father earlier when I caught him cheating with another woman! Who would want a woman with an eight year old son? My personal value has depreciated thanks to you two!”

 

The poison and viciousness behind her words hurt Minghao even more than his father’s words. He never thought that his mother, someone who he held so dearly to his heart would turn towards the darkness too. He took each blow they laid on him quietly, realizing fast that his cries would only make them angrier, and the pain will not lessen. He’d cry and cover his bruises and the scabs from healing wounds in plaster or bandages, whatever he could salvage from the first aid kit underneath the toilet sink. He ran out of them soon and there was nothing he could do except to hiss in pain, when the blood dried up against his shirt and he pulled on it accidentally.

 

“Minghao? What happened!” his nanny, who found him at her doorstep, clothes dirty and stained with dried blood here and there, exclaimed in shock. She had saw the news that her previous employer’s restaurants closed down, but did not know that something like this would happen to Minghao.

 

“What is going on here? Who’s the kid?” The nanny’s husband’s gruff voice sounded from inside the house. Afraid that Minghao will draw attention, she brought the kid into the house, praying hard that her violent husband wouldn’t react volatilely.

 

“It’s Xu Minghao. The son of my previous employer.” She replied meekly, shielding Minghao behind her. She’d watched over Minghao since he was a toddler, and was sad to leave the child when he grew older and her family wanted her back for marriage. Her husband wasn’t the worst, but also not the best. He had a quick temper, but at the very least he managed to provide, however meager, for their family.

 

“Isn’t he a rich kid? Why is he here?” Sensing that her husband was about to get angry, Fei explained as quick as possible that he probably ran away from home and that his parents are beating him.

 

“It’s not our problem Fei. The child has to leave.”

 

“But he will not survive, it’s impossible.”

 

“He is not my son.” With that the man walked out of the house, slamming the door hard behind him.

 

“Haohao, I’m sorry. I can’t keep you here, he would get angry. You’ll have to find help some other way.” Minghao bowed his head down, crestfallen.

 

“Let’s get you cleaned up and you’ll have to go alright?” Fei looked apologetic, but there wasn’t much that she could do. She did not dare to go against her husband, for fear that he would blow up. Her days were peaceful enough now, and she couldn’t afford it to go wrong. She wiped Minghao down with a rag, and treated his wounds as best as she could before sending him off with a steamed bun in his hand.

 

“Sorry Haohao.” Young Minghao nodded. It was his own fault no one likes him. He gave Fei a hug and walked out into the main street, heartbroken and lost. He didn’t know what to do anymore. Going back home would mean more beatings and torture.

 

“Hey! My bun!” Minghao shouted and tried to chase after the beggar that snatched his bun out of his hands when he wasn’t paying attention. His sobs got quieter and quieter as he ran out of breath, like his lungs were collapsing in on him. What did he do to deserve this?

 

“Hey...” Minghao’s shouted dwindled into the dirty air of the city. He slumped down by the sidewalk, trying to catch his breath and at a total loss. The people passing by him didn’t even bother to spare him a glance and with his clothes, he looked no different from the beggar just now.

 

“What are you doing here kid?” A patrol officer in uniform peered at him from above, flashlight shining directly onto his face, making him squint.

 

“Where are your parents?” The officer asked.

 

“Answer me!” Annoyed that Minghao wasn’t giving a response, he kicked him, trying to get the boy to utter a sound.

 

“I don’t have parents.” He answered in a small voice. He didn’t want to go back to the house anymore.

 

“You can’t stay here. You are destroying the city’s image. Move somewhere else or I’ll bring you to jail myself.” The patrol officer spat, annoyed that Minghao was wasting his time.

 

Minghao picked himself up and walked aimlessly into the nearest backstreet. No one would pass by here so it would be safe, he thinks to himself. He sat down beside a dumpster and curled in on himself, praying that he would have a chance to find food scraps from the breakfast carts tomorrow morning.

 

He was a fast learner. It was something Minghao was proud of himself. Two days of getting beaten up taught him how to steal the steam buns and runaway before the owner could catch him, and to eat up the bun as fast as it could, although it burnt his tongue, so that others cannot take it away from him. He hid in the alleys behind huge dumpsters, his lean and tiny frame allowing him to slip between the gaps.

 

“I finally caught you, you brat.” The owner grabbed Minghao by the scruff of his collar, punching him in the face to vent his anger.

 

“I see the two weeks you’ve been stealing from me gave you energy huh. You think you could outrun me? NO!” The man spat into his face.

 

“Let me go!” Minghao twist and turned, thin legs flailing around.

 

“Not until I sell you to the underground and get my money back for the buns!” The man continued to keep a strong hold on Minghao and brought him to the back alley of a dingy massage parlour.

 

“Is Mr Lee here? I have a deal to offer.” He tells the lady that opened the door. She nodded and came back with a tall man, wrapped in a bathrobe. He looked annoyed that his ‘massage’ with the ladies was disturbed.

 

“What is it, Ah Niu? I hope you did not disturb me for nothing or else your breakfast cart will be gone tomorrow morning.” The man said in his gravelly voice.

 

“I caught the boy that was stealing my buns. You can do anything you want with him. 500 yuan for the kid.” The owner said, confident that Mr Lee would take up his deal. A child for 500 yuan? That was lower than the market price. Mr Lee would be stupid to not take up the owner’s offer.

 

“Deal.” Mr Lee left and came back with a wad of cash in his hands, ordering the owner to leave Minghao with the girls from the massage parlor. The owner left in glee, hands in his pockets to make sure the money doesn’t get stolen.

 

“What’s your name?” Mr Lee looked at Minghao.

 

“Minghao.” The man nodded in approval.

 

“Huahua, get him cleaned up and changed into proper clothes. My boys will pick him up later in time for tonight’s shipment.”

 

Minghao found himself let into a small toilet where Huahua began stripping him off his clothes and cleaning him. Minghao tried to ask where he was going and who was Mr Lee, but she kept quiet and did pulled some clothes over him, combing his hair apart and trying her best to make him look presentable. She then gave him some hot tea and about an hour he was blindfolded and guided out of the shop.

 

Minghao remembers that night clearly, sense coming alive as soon as he was blindfolded. He remembers the musty smelling vehicle, and the cigarette smoke from the men who was making sure he did not escape. They halted somewhere and soon enough he could smell the sea breeze and the various shouts of seamen. At that point he knew that there was no going back and this was the end of his life in China.

 

He was picked up and thrown into the cargo room of a boat, which Minghao supposes that it will take him somewhere far. He tried to listen and catch where they were going, but there was too much shouting for him to hear any useful information. The swaying of the boat did not help and soon he was trying to keep the bile at the back of his throat down.

 

After few days of being fed bread and water, and allowing him to relieve himself twice a day, they finally reached land. Soon enough the men returned with a blindfold and Minghao found himself in the darkness again. He realized that the men were no longer speaking Chinese, but another foreign language.

 

“What’s your name, kid.” It was a question he had been getting a lot.

 

“Minghao.”

 

“Can you speak Japanese?” So that’s where they were. Minghao shook his head. Sure, he’d watched Doraemon and Naruto as a kid, but the show was dubbed in Mandarin and Minghao knew nothing about the language. It was the first time he’d even hear the language. The man continued to barter with the other person, which Minghao hoped wasn’t about him.

 

“Kid, this your new master. From now on, your name is Hachi. You are the last of the eight kids to be sent to the Yamada household.” Minghao blinked his eyes, trying to adapt to the light after getting the blindfold removed.

 

“Come.” A man in an ill-fitting suit spoke in broken Mandarin to Minghao, beckoning for him to follow.

 

Minghao was led into a car and without much time, they reached a huge Japanese house, complete with a traditional garden.

 

“From now on, you will listen to me and do what I say. Master Yamada would have you skinned alive if you break the house rules.” The man said. So he wasn’t the Master then, but rather a servant.

 

“You are to address me as Takano-san and you will only answer to the name Hachi. I will show you the servant quarters and teach you Japanese as well as train you. The Yamada Household deals with many different people, and you must be smart or else I cannot guarantee what would happen to you.” Minghao nodded. This would be his new start however harsh it is.

 

At the young age of eight, Minghao began serving at the Yamada Household, as a lowly servant doing the chores that no one wanted to do. His small built made it easy for him to crawl in tiny spaces and corners compared to the maids. Minghao later found out that the family dealt with drugs, and is a subfamily of a Yakuza group. He was also trained in combat when he grew older. Surprisingly he was quite good at it and was later promoted as a companion for the master’s son, Ishida. Things were going good, but if life was this smooth sailing, it wouldn’t be life anymore right?

 

 

It was another new moon and the night was dark, not even a star in sight to illuminate the sky. Minghao had just finished putting his young master to bed and was retiring to his own quarters when he heard a silent _ping_ and then a thud. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he fled outside into the back garden as silent and fast as he could. Something was not right and Minghao could feel it in his bones. He ran quickly to where they kept firewood and crawled into the small space. Soon he heard screams and several gunshots. He held his breath and looked on, afraid that he would get caught and killed. But what about the young master? The young man treated him well despite his family being cruel. Minghao was sorry towards him but going back meant that he would be killed as well. There were more sounds of fighting and screaming, but it was too late, when Minghao saw a man drench the whole wooden porch in gasoline.

 

“Everyone out!” The man shouted and Minghao could see people running out before the man threw a lighted match aimed at the porch. Minghao had never seen fire that strong and burned so fast. It didn’t help that the Yamada family house was old and maintained paper windows and thin bamboo lattices. He covered his face as best as he could with the front of his shirt, and held the sobs back.

 

Life at the Yamada Household wasn’t the best, but it was better than having to starve in the streets. Now that someone has assassinated the whole family, what could he do? He had no identity, no money and certainly no one he can depend on. He wasn’t familiar with the streets of Japan, as he was kept the whole time within the property.

 

Minghao hid in the firewood pile till the coast was clear. He heard the sirens of the firetruck and decided it was the best time to slip away. Minghao was 15 years old when he hit the streets of Japan with only clothes on his back.

 

It seems that whatever beings that were above in the sky looking after Minghao did not want him dead after all. He was quickly known as the ferocious Chinese thug roaming the backstreets of Kabuki-chon after defeating three punks and taking their money. But with fame comes consequences. Minghao soon found himself cornered at the back alley of Yume, a famous host shop in the district by 10 people. They had metal baseball bats in their hands and tattoos on their arms.

 

“So, you not only beat up our brothers and took their money, eh?” Their leader, Minghao supposed, asked. He did not reply him, but analysed the situation. It didn’t look good to Minghao. Unless those baseball bats were for show and they didn’t want to beat him up.

 

“Let’s teach him a lesson boys.” Minghao found himself tired and loosing energy soon enough, trying to fend of ten people alone. They weren’t skilled like Minghao was, but the addition of a weapon made it hard for him to tackle them without risk getting a concussion. He ducked the swoop of a baseball bat, but another caught him in the stomach. The force was enough to send him reeling backwards, and it was a gap in his defence. They held Minghao by his arms and started kicking him and punching him, their laughter mocking Minghao and his powerlessness.

 

“What are you guys doing at our turf?” A man appeared from nowhere, with three other men behind him. Dazed as he was, Minghao could see their guns glinting under the streetlights.

 

“Scram!” The leader shouted and they ran off in another direction. The man came up to Minghao and looked at him.

 

“Tough one, aren’t cha? What’s your name?” The man kneeled in front of Minghao, a small smile apparent on his lips.

 

“Minghao.” He replied weakly. He’d gone back to his old name, so that no one affiliated with the Yamada Household (if there were any left after the mass killing) could find him. Only Tanaka-san knew his real name but he was pretty sure the man didn’t remember it anymore after so many years. Everyone called him Hachi, including his young master. Well, ex young master.

 

“Would you be interested to join Diamond Group, Minghao-san?” The man said, reaching his hand out to Minghao.

 

“Yes.”

 

**-10 years later-**

Minghao found himself in front of the Gumichou, or Oyabun as the man sometimes liked to be called.

 

“Minghao, you’ve been with us for ten years since yesterday huh.” The man said, sipping on the small cup of warmed sake.

 

“Yes.” Minghao bowed.

 

“I was right that night, picking you up from the streets. You’ve done well so far, even surpassing Seungcheol at combat.” Minghao bowed again.

 

“You will take Haku-san’s place and become one of the executives. You shall assist Seungcheol, the wakagashira of this group, and naturally the whole group wherever you can. You shall protect them at all costs, as our group’s secret weapon.”

 

Minghao looked up at the man in awe. Looking back at his life, he never thought he would have one of the most coveted position in the group, although it was one of the most dangerous. But then again, his life was already filled with death and danger, a little more to it wouldn’t change much, would it?

 

“It would be my honour sir.” Minghao replied, and he knelt down to his knees, giving the man the most respectful bow he could muster.

 

“Thank you for picking me up, training me and saving my life. I will do everything in my power to repay your gratitude. I, Xu Minghao swear, I will serve the group for as long as I may.”

 

“Good, now get up and complete the ceremony. Seungcheol would be glad to hear the news.” The man said.

 

**-Present time-**

“So that’s how you joined Diamond Group? You’ve had it hard Haohao.” Jun said, placing a piece of meat in Minghao’s bowl. They were eating at the hotpot restaurant again and after a lost game of rock, paper and scissors, Minghao found himself pouring his life story to Jun. There was something about the man that made him spill all the hardships he’d been through, and the bitterness behind it. Not even Seungcheol or Jihoon, whom he had trained with since his first day in Diamond Group knows about his story in such detail.

 

Hearing the familiar nickname gave him a pang in his chest. It reminded him of how Fei used to talk to him, and the helplessness in the woman’s eyes when she left him alone on the streets to fend for himself. He took a huge swig of tea, trying to repress the emotions bubbling in his chest.

 

Jun noticed how quiet the boy became and he put his arm around Minghao’s shoulder, giving him a light squeeze. He waved to the waitress for the bill, ending their dinner earlier than usual. Thank goodness they finished all the meat and what’s left was some vegetable and side dishes.

 

“Let’s go to my place, Haohao. I’ve got something planned for you.” Jun gave Minghao a playful smile and led him out of the restaurant. He held onto Minghao’s hand the whole walk towards his apartment, not saying a word, sensing that Minghao needed some down time.

 

“Surprise!” Jun squealed as he brought the birthday cake out into the living room. Minghao’s eyes lightened up and he smiled at Jun.

 

“How did you know that today’s my birthday?” Minghao asked Jun in wonder, smile not leaving his face as he stared at the cake.

 

“I did check your ID when you first came to the bar, Haohao. It’s not common to see a Chinese name so I kinda remembered your details.” Jun answered sheepishly.

 

“What a creep.”

 

“Stop dissing me Haohao. Make a wish.” Jun ushered the younger.

 

_I wish that everything will be alright from now on._

 

Minghao blew out the candles and laughed when Jun cheered like madman. He was content and proud that, as harsh life has treated him, he was still standing.

 

“Happy Birthday, Minghao.”

 

終。

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this!  
> You can tell the ending is a bit meh, but that's because I don't want to spoil the ending of the AU, since its heavily related. Oops.  
> You can check out the main story here: https://twitter.com/svtnogomi/status/1043594895351537664
> 
> Feel free to scream at me on Twitter (@svtnogomi) or just interact with me, I don't bite I promise.
> 
> HAPPY BIRTHDAY XU MINGHAO!!!!!!  
> 生日快樂，明浩啊。  
> 你值得最好的一切。


End file.
